CCMH will continue its work in the Dominican Republic this Fall. As in previous years the group will focus on medical clinics with two main populations. Those in the bateys who are largely Haitian and those in the prisons who are a mix of Dominicans , Haitians and foreigners.
The Haitians working and living in the bateys live in extreme poverty and are very underserved with medical care. More recent worsening conditions in Haiti have resulted in an increase of Haitians fleeing to the Dominican Republic . The Dominican government has responded by cutting back relief and medical services for these refugees. Although CCMH does not have a continuous presence in the Dominican Republic (DR) we offer additional medical services for a short period of time that would otherwise not be available. Our group has relationships with several local organizations such as Good Samaritan Hospital and Light a Candle that we can refer patients to for a higher level of care.
CCMH is one of the few outside groups that is allowed to provide medical care inside of the prisons and jails. This service is possible by CCMH's association with local citizens that have made their life's work to minister to the medical and spiritual needs of those imprisoned in the country. This association allows for extension of care and outside referrals as needed.
The impact is as mentioned above that there will be short term services rendered in the bateys and prisons that would not be otherwise available. Because of CCMH's local connections long term follow up and referrals to higher levels of care are often made to happen.
In addition , this year CCMH's association with the University of South Alabama Medical School will continue and expand. As last year several residents will be part of the team and for the first time senior level medical students will accompany the group.
The main focus of our organization Cross Cultural Medicine on Hispaniola ( CCMH) is to attend to the medical needs of the underserved workers of the bateys ( sugar plantations) and those incarcerated in the Dominican prisons and jails. CCMH may be the only outside organization allowed to work in the prison system. Many other groups in addition to CCMH provide medical care in the bateys. While we are only in country for a limited time , CCMH physicians and staff are able to identify patients who may need additional care and direct them to the appropriate physicians , hospitals or other facilities. This is made possible by our connections with organizations such as Good Samaritan Hospital and Centro de Protesis whose CEO is Graviel Nuel Jacobo. Our American mission friends Andy and Mary Wilson from Mangotree Missions in La Romana were, as always, a great asset.
For the CCMH trip in the first week of November 2026 our group consisted of nine physicians, one nurse , one medical student , and about nine translators . Other support staff included our drivers and the staff of Casa Pastoral in La Romana who cooked for us and was where we laid our heads down at night.
This past week we ran general medical clinics in Batey 18, the town of Guaymate and in prisons and jails in el Seibo, Higuey and La Romana. Approxiamately 1000 patients were seen last week including pediatric and adults in the bateys and men and women in the prisons. Conditions treated included hypertension, diabetes, respiratory infections, urinary tract infections, gynecology type infections and a variety of skin issues. The overall health of these patients is negatively affected by poor hygiene , lack of proper nutrition and not always clean drinking water. Our team included two internists who were a great asset in dealing with poorly controlled hypertension and diabetes. There were two probable nephrotic syndrome patients which benefited from our internists expertise. As much as our patients may have benefited from our medicines and diagnoses , I believe that showing kindness and love towards our brothers and sisters in the Dominican Republic is equally beneficial. Saying ' Dios te bendiga' ( God bless you)at the end of a visit, almost always brought a smile to to a patient's face.
This year we continued our commitment to the educational aspect of our mission through the University of South Alabama Medical College. Our member Dr Grace Lagasse is a faculty member in the emergency medicine program with a strong interest in international medicine. This year she recruited one fourth year medical student and a third year emergency medicine resident. They were both a great asset to our group.
We are greatly appreciative for the Doximity Foundation's support for our physicians travel expenses. This allows us allocate more funds towards medicines and other medical supplies.
We look forward to working with the Doximity Foundation in the future.
